


Five Times Hongbin Suffered and One Time He Didn't

by unweavetherainbows



Category: VIXX
Genre: (MENTIONED DKM), (mentioned) - Freeform, 5 Times, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff and Angst, Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, hongbin is so mad, kind of a college au, yoonmin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-07-11 18:07:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15977651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unweavetherainbows/pseuds/unweavetherainbows
Summary: Lee Hongbin just wanted to live his life in peace. Unfortunately, Hakyeon and Taekwoon are blindly in love and somehow Hongbin is the only one who can see it. Hongbin suffers accordingly.





	1. A Spec(taco)lar Disaster

**Author's Note:**

> hahahaHAHAHA POOR HONGBIN  
> fr tho like yall know he's such a huge softie and there's nO WAY he could stand by and do nothing while neo dance around each other. also it's so fun to make hongbin suffer (¬‿¬)
> 
> for some reason, ao3 deleted my end note so: thank you so much for reading and i hope you enjoyed! comments are always, always appreciated <33

Hongbin always knew that Hakyeon and Taekwoon were idiots.

Well, that's not entirely true. Hakyeon bought him moisturizer once, and god, that was a life changer. Hongbin's never felt so smooth. They're not stupid all the time, he'll give them that.

What he really means is that Hakyeon and Taekwoon are idiots for _each_ _other_.

And now, don't get him wrong— he loves them both. Truly. He really does.

Wonsik, Jaehwan and Sanghyuk cared too, they really did, but they could live with Taekwoon and Hakyeon's idiocy while Hongbin just....couldn't. His heart couldn't take watching these two fools dance around each other for any longer. (And Taekwoon can’t even _dance_ , he just kind of wiggles his ass while Hakyeon laughs.)

An as sarcastic and blunt that Hongbin may be, he’s kind of a sucker for love. He'll eat his own arm before he admits it, but Hongbin might (definitely) be a massive softie.

But just because Hongbin is secretly A Huge Squish didn't make it any less frustrating when Hakyeon and Taekwoon took a ridiculously long time to realize that their friendship was.....a little more than friendship. A lot more than friendship, in fact.

So you can guess who had to sit there and watch, wringing his hands in silent agony as he waited for his stupid, _stupid_ friends to figure it out. Sometimes they needed a little help (courtesy of one very frustrated '93 liner) but they got there. Eventually.

Sit down and buckle up, because up next are five times Lee Hongbin almost lost his mind because of his friends' stupidity and one time that he finally got some damn _peace_.                             

                                                                                                       ******

It's Tuesday night, which means that it's taco night. Or We-Don't-Taco-Anymore, as Hakyeon gleefully named it, which is what Hongbin will be doing to him after being forced to hear that god-awful pun. Hakyeon can't really cook and the rest of them know this, so Taekwoon's been relegated to the kitchen to try and help him out (read: to make sure he doesn't mistake sugar for salt, unlike last time. No one should ever, _ever_ have to eat sugary beef.)

Jaehwan is lounging on the couch, Sanghyuk and Wonsik are playing video games, and Hongbin is scrolling through instagram. Flicking through photos mindlessly, he double taps on a picture of Sehun's abs, leaving three fire emojis in the comments. _Greasy_ , he thinks, rolling his eyes.

A clatter and bang comes from the kitchen, followed by a shout of laughter. Sighing, Hongbin stands and rounds the corner to see what's going on, and to make sure nothing is on fire.

Taekwoon is pelting Hakyeon with chopped up onions that were presumably destined for their tacos, and Hakyeon is shielding his face, throwing back diced tomatoes with equal vigour. Stringy bits of tomato cling to Taekwoon's hair and pieces of onion stick to Hakyeon's cheeks.

Hongbin clears his throat, rolling his eyes exasperatedly. He wishes he could say this is the weirdest thing he's come across them doing, but this doesn't even make top ten. The time with the trampoline and applesauce was definitely way more bizarre.

Hakyeon and Taekwoon freeze, hands clutching fistfuls of vegetables midair. Taekwoon is the first to abandon ship.

"He started it," he says, pointing an accusatory finger at Hakyeon. The tomato-thrower gasps, clutching his chest in shock.

"Blasphemy!"

Hongbin looks between the two of them, both red in the face and covered in various vegetables. He wonders how his life came to this.

"I don't care who started it. I'm finishing it."

"You should finish _him_ ," Hakyeon jabs a finger at Taekwoon. "I was just trying to make us dinner and then he came and ruined it."

"Excuse me? Who said that I would look better with red hair and then proceeded to throw _tomatoes_ in it?"

"Well, I was right, wasn't I? You _do_ look better with red hair."

It's like Hongbin isn't even there. They've turned back to each other, steaming pot on the stove and irritated companion forgotten.

"You know what? I think you'd look great with red hair too."

And suddenly the entire bowl of tomatoes has been upended onto Hakyeon's head, his mouth falling open in disbelief as tomatoes start to tumble from his hair. Taekwoon smirks, empty bowl in hand, and a full beat passes before Hakyeon leaps, taking Taekwoon down with him onto the floor, throwing hands anywhere that he can reach.

The pot overflows and there's too many things that Hongbin has to do at once, lunging forward to take the pot off of the heat and forcing a foot in between Hakyeon's hands and Taekwoon's neck.

Placing the pot down and cursing whichever gods that enjoy making his life harder than it needs to be, he manages to wrestle Hakyeon and Taekwoon apart, hoisting them off of the floor and holding them at arms length from each other.

"Guys, what the fuck." Hongbin looks at Hakyeon, then at Taekwoon, but it's like they don't even see him. They're seeing _through_ him.

"Next time, I'll teach you a real lesson, Woon." Hakyeon grins, shaking a piece of tomato off of his forehead.

Taekwoon rakes a hand through his similarly-tomatoey hair. "We'll see about that." Hakyeon smirks and leans forward, picking a particularly large piece of tomato out of Taekwoon's hair.

Does he even _exist?_

" _Hey_ ," Hongbin shouts, and they finally snap out of it, whatever _it_ is, and look at him. "Both of you. Go clean up now. There's no saving this steaming pile of shit."

All three of them glance at the pot of what used to be ground beef but what now seems to be a pile of black tar, crusty and hardened. It may take two to tango, but clearly it takes at least three to taco.

Hakyeon's cheeks colour in embarrassment. "I told you this was your fault."

Taekwoon's mouth opens in what is sure to be a furious reply, but Hongbin isn't having it. This has gone on long enough.

"Nope. Go get cleaned up. I want both of you back here in five minutes, and if I hear screaming I _will_ call Sanghyuk."

Their faces pale at this, and Hongbin doesn't have to say it twice. Taekwoon and Hakyeon hightail it out of the kitchen, heading to their rooms. Hongbin catches a muttered _you can't cook for shit_ and a quiet _fuck you, jung ass_ before the bathroom door slams and the water runs.

Hongbin sighs. He didn't sign up for this shit. He just wanted to live here _quietly_.

Tossing the burnt pot into the sink, Hongbin makes a mental note to get rid of the black stuff before it becomes radioactive. There's no telling which chemicals (" _Flavours!_ " comes an indignant shout from across their apartment) Hakyeon put in it.

Pulling out his phone, Hongbin dials the number of the local Dominos. They actually know his name at this point, which is testament to how shitty at cooking his roommates are.

Twenty minutes later, a tomato-free Hakyeon and Taekwoon are sitting at their dining table, along with Sanghyuk, Jaehwan and a confused Wonsik. And one very, very irritated Hongbin.

"Wait, I thought we were having tacos tonight?" Wonsik asks, mournfully poking at his slice of pizza.

"Don't taco 'bout it," Hakyeon mutters into his pizza, and Taekwoon chokes from across the table. Hongbin chews his pizza with a little more force than necessary.

"You all know how good Hakyeon is at cooking," Sanghyuk snickers. "Which is to say that he's absolute shit."

Jaehwan nods in agreement, shrivelling up a little when Hakyeon glares at him.

"What? You once burnt _water_. I didn't even know that was possible."

Taekwoon is looking at a pouting Hakyeon with _something_ in his eyes, something that Hongbin can't place. But it's gone as soon as it appears, and Hongbin thinks that maybe he imagined it.

"You're all so mean. I cook for you, _I_ _break my back_ _for you,_ and this is how you treat me? Ungrateful kids."

"I don't think they're being mean, Yeon. I think they're being honest."

The last word has barely left his mouth before Taekwoon winces, face scrunching. Hongbin glances at Hakyeon, the picture of innocence. He shifts slightly, and that's when Hongbin realizes that he delivered a swift kick to Taekwoon underneath the table. Hakyeon suddenly stiffens and Taekwoon smirks, and oh god, are they— are they playing _footsie_ _?_  How has no else noticed this? Hongbin rolls his eyes so hard that it almost hurts.

"Hongbin, why do you look like you're about to kill someone?"

He smiles at Jaehwan, clenching his teeth. There are two people on his hit list and they were both born in 1990.

"No reason."

Dinner continues on as usual, Sanghyuk and Wonsik bickering over whether or not Squirtle could kick Charmander's ass ("He _squirts_ , dude, that's so metal"), and Jaehwan laughing at Taekwoon's tales of a much younger, much more foolish Hakyeon.

Hongbin is on his eighth slice of pizza, because he deserves it. (He also didn't pay; Hongbin slipped the delivery guy Taekwoon's credit card. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.)

"Guys, when I first moved in with Hakyeon, he had no idea how to do the dishes. He put _bath soap_ inside of the dishwasher and flooded the kitchen," Taekwoon regales, eyes crinkling as Jaehwan cackles and Hakyeon frowns.

"How was I supposed to know different soaps are used for different things? I thought they were all the same!"

Hongbin blinks. He takes back whatever he said about Hakyeon not being completely stupid.

"I really don't know how you made it this far, Hakyeon."

Taekwoon jostles his shoulder. "Me neither, Bean. It's one of the world's greatest mysteries."

And even though Hakyeon narrows his eyes at them, even though his brow is furrowed, his gaze is gentle, eyes softening as he looks at Taekwoon for just a second too long. But Hongbin really must be going crazy, because a second later, Hakyeon's face returns to normal and it's gone.

What Hongbin definitely _doesn't_ imagine, however, is how Hakyeon suddenly leans over the table while Taekwoon is mid-sentence  —"he didn't know what a _bidet_ was, you guys"— to wipe a fleck of sauce from the corner of Taekwoon's mouth. As Hakyeon's thumb brushes his lips, their eyes connect, and for some reason Hongbin instantly feels embarrassed, like he's been caught peeping.

But that's ridiculous because this is his house too, and Hongbin has just as much of a right to be at this dining table as they do. But still, Hongbin looks away, tuning into the ongoing Pokemon debate. Leave his weird-as-fuck roommates alone to be weird by themselves.

Polishing off the last of the four pizzas, Wonsik soon announces he's off to bed, Sanghyuk goes off to do whatever it is that he does at night, and Jaehwan sticks around to help Hongbin clean up. Taekwoon and Hakyeon are promptly banished from the kitchen ("You already made a biohazard today," Hongbin says in the face of Hakyeon's pout) and Taekwoon flicks on a movie, something scary with a little girl that's sure to make Hakyeon scream like one.

Jaehwan is passing Hongbin dishes to put in the dishwasher, and it's quiet in the kitchen, the only sounds in the apartment Hakyeon's shrieks and Taekwoon's laughter.

Hongbin pauses, plate in hand. "Jae?"

Jaehwan hums, stacking dishes in the sink.

He's a smart guy. Jaehwan graduated at the top of his class. He'll help Hongbin out.

"Do you think something....weird is going on between Hakyeon and Taekwoon?"

"What, besides the fact that two grown men somehow can't cook for shit?"

Hongbin's lips quirk, but that's not it. "Well that too, I guess, but I mean— aren't they acting weirder than usual?"

Jaehwan laughs, patting Hongbin's back with a soapy hand. "Don't worry about it. Hakyeon and Taekwoon have always been a little weird. Maybe they're having a late midlife crisis? You know, reclaiming their youth or whatever."

Hongbin nods, putting another dish in the washer. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Out of the six bodies in this house, at least _one_ of them has to actually have a brain. Right?

The boom of frightening music thunders from the living room, followed by a particularly loud shriek and Taekwoon's obnoxiously gleeful laughter, and Hongbin wonders if Jaehwan is really all that smart after all.


	2. Pour Up (But Not Too Much)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanghyuk is a Sneaky Evil Mixologist. Hakyeon is shit at holding his alcohol. Hongbin's eyes suffer the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> loOK WHO ACTUALLY UPDATED  
> are you proud of me? i'm proud of me (ᵔᴥᵔ)  
> enjoy pt 2 of honbgin's pain! let me know if you suffered as much as he did ;)

There's not much Hongbin asks for in life. Clean sheets. Banana Body Yogurt. (Hakyeon swears by it, okay?) And most importantly, for his eyes to remain unscarred.

But when you're living in a house with Cha Dumb and Jung Dumber, it turns out that one of these things is much harder to maintain than the others.

It's Friday night, three weeks after the Taco Night Incident, and they're all at Jimin and Yoongi's place, a cozy apartment a few blocks away. Hongbin's not usually one for parties, but Yoongi has been his friend for a long time and Jimin even longer, so he agreed to bring the whole gang along.

The air is thick with sweat, clogged with the scent of cheap college beer and Smirnoff, the Weeknd's I Was Never There bleeding from the speakers, the DJ booth (really just a laptop set up in the corner) manned by Yoongi's friend whose name Hongbin thinks is Namjoon.

Jaehwan is chugging beer like his life depends on it, egged on by a grinning Sanghyuk, who seems to have a neverending supply of drinks to pass to a rapidly-drunkening Jaehwan.

Across the room, Hongbin glances at Wonsik, stuttering hard as he tries and fails to ask a girl to dance— Hyejin, Hongbin remembers belatedly. Hongbin watches as she raises an eyebrow, giving Wonsik the classic onceover, politely declining his offer and turning on a studded heel to speak to her friend.

Making his way past a crushed Wonsik, Hongbin snickers, patting him on the shoulder, wishing him better luck next time. And as for Hakyeon and Taekwoon, well.

Hongbin knows this, Jaehwan knows this, Sanghyuk knows this (and uses it for purposes of evil), hell, even _Yoongi_ knows this— Hakyeon is shit at holding his alcohol. Like, everyone knows Taekwoon is bad, but Hakyeon is pre-adolescent-trying-beer-for-the-first-time bad. It's like it's his first time, _every time._

And it's been no better tonight, because as Hongbin approaches Hakyeon, who's standing on the fringes of Yoongi and Jimin's makeshift living room dance floor, Hongbin can already see the flame blooming in his cheeks. Hongbin waves a hand in front of Hakyeon's face— nothing.

There's a drink clutched loosely in Hakyeon's hand —vodka cranberry, it looks like— and Hongbin takes it up a notch, snapping his fingers in front of Hakyeon's nose. He still doesn't react, he barely breathes, and Hongbin sighs.

He looks ahead of him, into the moving bodies and flashing lights, trying to see what Hakyeon is staring at, and— oh.

Taekwoon is standing in the thick of it, in the heat and haze of the dance floor, people writhing and grinding around him.

The Weeknd croons from the speakers spread out around the apartment — _when it's time, when it's time, when it's time_ — and there's a girl dancing with him; more _on_ him, as it seems. Taekwoon doesn't appear to be that into it from where Hongbin is observing, but nonetheless Taekwoon allows the girl to wind his arms around her waist, lets her tangle manicured hands in his hair. They move together, undulating under flashing lights, and she grinds against him, throwing her head back as she presses Taekwoon flush to her body.

Hongbin's had enough. He brings up both hands to clap in Hakyeon's face, a bright pop of noise amidst the chatter and throbbing bass of the apartment. Hakyeon finally looks at him, his eyes startled, and only now seems to register that Hongbin is actually there. He throws back his drink, cracks his neck, seeming to steel himself for something, squaring his shoulders and levelling his gaze.

"Hakyeon, what are you—"

A nearly-empty cup has suddenly been shoved into Hongbin's hands and Hakyeon is gone, making a beeline straight for the middle of the dance floor.

There are a lot of people here, and Hongbin has to crane his neck to see what's going on, but he can make out Taekwoon's hands around the girl's waist, her hands loped around his neck. They're close, dangerously close, and then Hakyeon suddenly appears.

Hongbin's eyes crinkle as he laughs, because the girl is gorgeous, and Hakyeon probably thought she was way out of Taekwoon's league but well within his own, in true Confident!Yeon style. He's wearing his Can-I-Speak-To-The-Manager Grin, all teeth and no eyes. The music is too loud and Hongbin can't hear what he says, but as Hakyeon's mouth moves, he imagines it's something to the effect of "fuck off, Taekwoon. She's too good for you."

But as the girl rolls her eyes and releases a surprised Taekwoon, stalking away to find another dance partner, the grin slides off his face. It wasn't the girl Hakyeon was after.

Hongbin's mouth falls open as Hakyeon throws an arm around Taekwoon's shoulders, bringing him closer, irrevocably closer.  

Hakyeon smiles, a slow, stupid smile, and even from here Hongbin can tell that he's so, so drunk. Surreptitiously, Hongbin takes a sniff of Hakyeon's drink and instantly recoils. Fucking Sanghyuk. When he'd offered to mix them all drinks earlier, an innocent smile on his lips, Hongbin should have known he was up to something. Hakyeon's drink is 99% vodka and less than a drop of cranberry.

And it shows, because Hakyeon is _messy_. The baseline of Dean's Pour Up pounds in the background — _drink, smoke, drink, smoke. drink, smoke, pour up_ — as Hakyeon's limbs turn to water, flowing like silk as he winds his hands in Taekwoon's hair, moving his hips fluidly against Taekwoon's own.

Hongbin's eyes are wide as saucers, because what the fuck? _What the fuck?_

Hakyeon and Taekwoon are friends, just _friends_. Amigos. Comrades. Bros.

Yeah, they're closer than most, but this is— this is _dangerous._ Hongbin can almost hear the error buzzer go off in the background as Taekwoon's hands slide lower and lower down Hakyeon's back, their hips rocking together. _Bros? Wrong! Try again next round!_

As Hongbin is rapidly learning, if Hakyeon wants to dance, he's going to motherfucking _dance_. Hongbin's never seen him pull out all the stops like this, shining on the dance floor even while piss drunk. The song suddenly switches to Beyoncè's Yoncè —Hongbin's guilty pleasure song— and Hakyeon pops a squat, dropping it low, bringing his ass up against Taekwoon's hips to the whistles and cheers of the crowd. Taekwoon's hands are tight on his hips, Hakyeon's jeans straining as Taekwoon spins him roughly, bringing them nose to nose.

Fuck his top marks. Lee Jaehwan is the biggest idiot on the planet. Either that, or he's blind. Midlife crisis, Hongbin's _ass_.

Hongbin hadn't seen it before, but he can see it now, the red staining Taekwoon's cheeks, the sheen of sweat on his neck. He's stupid tipsy, if not drunk, but he's not nearly as bad as his dance partner. Hakyeon throws his head back, laughing, flushed scarlet all the way down to his chest. Taekwoon noses at Hakyeon's exposed neck, hands circling his waist. Hakyeon suddenly leans forward, and their gazes lock. They're close. Extremely close.

Hongbin's only heard of the expression  _undressing him with your eyes_ in cheesy romance novels (that he definitely doesn't read) but there's no other way to describe what's happening now. Hongbin gawks as Taekwoon looks at Hakyeon through hooded lids, his gaze dark, arm snug around Hakeyon’s waist.

Hakyeon's lips are upturned in a lazy smile, his hands locked around Taekwoon's neck as they move, bodies rolling and grinding against each other, nary a breath between them.

And as Taekwoon's gaze slides lower, fixating on the hollow of Hakyeon's throat, Hongbin realizes that he _really_ needs to expand his vocabulary. He desperately wishes there was another way to describe this, but there just isn't.

Taekwoon is fucking Hakyeon with his eyes.

Hongbin wants to bleach his brain.

Time crawls to a standstill while Hongbin watches from his strangely voyeuristic position, Sanghyuk's death drink still in one hand as he sees Taekwoon's eyes dart up to Hakyeon's lips, and he's leaning in, what the actual _fuck_ is happening his roommates are going to _make out_ —

And suddenly a shitfaced Jaehwan is pushing between them, hollering as he grabs Hakyeon's hands, pulling him into some warped, drunkened version of the tango. Taekwoon is jostled by a bouncing Wonsik, who seems like he's trying to sadly dance his rejection blues away. Sanghyuk is nowhere to be found; he's probably mixing more concoctions for unsuspecting victims in the kitchen.

And Hongbin is, well— Hongbin is relieved. He felt intensely voyeuristic, almost criminal, watching something that clearly wasn't meant for a third pair of eyes. But they were right there, an inescapable sight, doing what seemed to be a— a mating dance? _What the actual fuck?_

Hakyeon and Taekwoon are _friends_ — nothing more. Or so Hongbin thought. But friends don't dance together like that; Hongbin's watched enough romcoms to be sure of this. But if that's true, then how in the hell did he just watch Hakyeon and Taekwoon eye-fuck each other on the dance floor?

Setting Hakyeon’s drink down, he sets off to find Yoongi. It's getting late, and some of them (Hakyeon) have had way too much to drink. It's time to go home.

Hongbin scours the apartment, searching through the tight throngs of people, but Yoongi is nowhere to be found. Hongbin is saved, though, because he manages to spot Yoongi's better half —Jimin, nursing a drink near the door, laughing and clapping someone on the back— so he heads over.

"Hey, Jimin, thanks for a great party," Hongbin says, and Jimin turns towards him, smiling, eyes splitting into soft crescents.

"No worries, Bean. I'm so glad you and the guys could make it." Jimin radiates warmth, he always has, and Hongbin feels it now especially.

"You okay, though? You look a little shaken up."

Hongbin pauses, the smile flickering on his lips. "Ah, well, I just— some of the guys are closer than I thought. It surprised me."

Jimin looks at him knowingly, raising an eyebrow. "I saw them on the dance floor earlier, Bean. I'm happy for them."

"What?" Hongbin's confused. Happy for who?

"Taekwoon and Hakyeon, who else? Yoongi and I always said it was only a matter of time." Jimin is still smiling but his eyes are alight with mirth, as if Hongbin is just catching on to an inside joke that everyone else has been a part of for a long, long time.

"But they're not— they're just friends," Hongbin says, but it sounds flimsy even to his own ears. Jimin laughs, shaking his head. He pats Hongbin on the arm in the same way that one would comfort a child, the same way that a parent would after dropping the Santa bomb. _What do you mean, he's not real?_

"Hongbin, they're not just friends. Friends don't look at each other like that. You want to know how I know?" Jimin waits for Hongbin to nod. "Because before we were officially together, that's how Yoongi used to look at me."

Hongbin's world is crumbling around him, even as everything clicks into place. The secret glances across the dinner table. The way Hakyeon's hands always seem to find an excuse to touch Taekwoon. The _something_ that gleams in Taekwoon's eyes every time he looks at Hakyeon.

"But—" Hongbin is struggling. "But they're not dating—"

"Give it six months, tops, and they will be. I guarantee it." Jimin winks at Hongbin. "From someone who was in the same place two years ago, take it from me. They both want the same thing, they just don't know it yet."

Jimin's words echo in his ears as Hongbin rounds up the gang, bidding Jimin a final goodbye. Yoongi miraculously turns up just as Hongbin drags them out the door, casting a knowing glance at Hakyeon and Taekwoon. He winks at Hongbin, and over the roar of the party, Yoongi mouths something.

_It's about fucking time._

Later that night, after Wonsik has collapsed into bed, Jaehwan has drunkenly eaten every snack in their kitchen, and Sanghyuk disappears into his bedroom, high-heeled girl in tow, Hongbin finally gets a moment to rest. He'd put Hakyeon to bed half an hour ago and then made sure that Taekwoon didn't fall over and die in the shower, because the stupid idiot insisted on taking one despite being so drunk that he couldn't tell his left hand from his right. Hongbin is an actual saint. 

The next morning, Hakyeon and Taekwoon don't remember much. Hakyeon says something vague about throwing his arms around Taekwoon's neck, but he brushes it off as nothing. They've danced together before.

 _Yeah, you have._ Hongbin wants to say. _But not like that. Never like that._

Even though Hakyeon and Taekwoon can't remember what happened last night, the image is seared onto the back of Hongbin's eyelids, following him into sleep. He can't forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i would sell my liver to see cha hakyeon pop a squat at the club. like this is my Greatest Dream  
> pls tell me what u thought! comments are literally my fav thing EVER (づ￣ ³￣)づ more of hongbin's pain to come next week!!  
> also i highly recommend all the songs mentioned!! let me know if u checked them out  
> (hmu on twt @yoongis_smile)


	3. Everyone is Bam(BOO)zled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Halloween, and things get spooky. Hongbin learns that Dracula is thirsty in every sense of the word. Taekwoon's costume ends up suiting him a little too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this was meant to be under 2k but then i started writing while procrastinating for midterms and...well. what is this Massive Shit i have taken oh god  
> mayhaps i have a political theory midterm tomorrow. mayhaps i've been on a date with plato for a straight week.  
> ancient greek boyfriends or not, i really wanted to post this on halloween so we could all enjoy the ~spooky spirit (ᵔᴥᵔ)  
> i hope everyone has a happy and safe vixxoween!  
> enjoy the shenanigans of our favourite 90 liners and a special guest. ;)

Like most things, it ends in fire and flame.

Unlike most things, however, it begins at a Halloween party.

Ever since the _incident_ (which Hongbin refuses to call for what it is, because otherwise he’d have to call it the time that Hakyeon and Taekwoon basically face-fucked on the dance floor) Hongbin has been slowly losing his mind. It’s glaringly present, like a crack in the walls he didn’t notice before but now can’t stop seeing.

This whole _situation_ reminds Hongbin of a time when he’d been sitting in lecture, listening intently and taking notes, when his friend suddenly pointed out that their professor followed every second word she said with an “um”. For the rest of the lecture, despite the fact that she was lecturing about something of utmost importance to Hongbin (Beyonce’s significance as a cultural icon) it’s all he could hear. _Um._

And now, sitting at the dining table one Thursday morning, it’s all he can see. How did he never notice the way that Hakyeon’s eyes fixate on Taekwoon’s back as he flips their omelettes, or they way that Taekwoon bites his lip when Hakyeon sighs in pleasure after taking a bite of his breakfast? Hongbin did not sign up to watch live-action _porn._

He’s seated at the other end of the table, watching Taekwoon watching Hakyeon lick his fork. _Um._

It’s obscene, the way that Hakyeon maintains eye contact with Taekwoon while his tongue dips in between the ridges of the fork. Taekwoon’s own tongue suddenly darts out to wet his lips. _Um._

Hongbin wants to steal Hakyeon’s fork and gouge his own eyes out. They’ve all lived together for years. How the _fuck_ has no one else noticed this? Jimin and Yoongi apparently knew straight away and they’ve only watched this stupid pseudo-mating dance from the periphery. Hongbin’s been seeing it up close every single day and he didn’t even know it.

Hongbin watches, fuming silently from the other end of the table, as Hakyeon steals a third bite from Taekwoon’s plate. Why can’t he eat his own damn food? Hakyeon isn’t gaining anything by eating Taekwoon’s food. For god’s sake, Taekwoon made them both _the same omelette._

It’s after Hakyeon makes to lick his fork for the third time that Hongbin can’t take it anymore. He stands up suddenly, bringing a fist down on the table, his chair exploding outward behind him.  Hakyeon and Taekwoon look up in surprise at the noise, Hakyeon’s fork slipping out of his hand and clattering onto the table.

Hongbin opens his mouth, ready to unleash fire and fury at the stupidity of the two people in front of him, his blood is boiling, he’s fucking ready to _go._ They’re looking at him expectantly, eyebrows raised, and that’s when Hongbin suddenly realizes he doesn’t actually have anything to say.

“Um,” Hongbin hedges, glancing between Hakyeon and Taekwoon, who are still staring at him in mild confusion. _Think,_ Hongbin silently wills his brain.

“Party,” Hongbin’s mouth blurts, and he winces, cursing his inability to think on his feet. Taekwoon and Hakyeon’s expressions grow increasingly confused as they stare at him from across the table, and Hongbin stares back at them for a moment, eyes wide, before he remembers that he should actually explain what _party_ means.

“My friend is having a Halloween party on Saturday,” Hongbin clarifies, pulling his chair in and sitting back down. While this is not necessarily untrue and Hongbin actually planned to invite them anyways, he didn’t expect to do it by angrily jumping to his feet at their dining table.

Apparently this isn’t that weird for him, though, because Taekwoon and Hakyeon immediately accept this, their faces returning to normal. It’s definitely not the strangest thing to ever happen in their house on a Thursday morning.

“Which friend?” Hakyeon asks, winding an arm around Taekwoon’s shoulders, who subtly leans into Hakyeon’s touch, cheeks reddening as Hakyeon squeezes his arm.

They’re not even trying to be subtle. Hongbin is going to shoot himself in the face. _Just admit it, you fucking cowards._

“Kyungsoo and his friends rented out a bar for the night,” Hongbin says, his hands curling into fists underneath the table as Hakyeon runs an idle hand through Taekwoon’s hair. “They asked me to ask you guys if you wanted to come.”

“Is it a costume party?” Hakyeon’s voice is pitched a little too high for Hongbin’s liking, hand frozen in Taekwoon’s hair, his eyes gleaming. Uh oh. Hongbin doesn’t like where this is going.

“I...I think so,” Hongbin wavers at the sight of Hakyeon’s massive grin. “Why, what did you have in mind?”

                                                                                                               ******

Hongbin is staying home. He actually means it this time. He stares at himself in his mirror, his obnoxiously pink bowtie staring back at him. Really and truly, he’s opting out. There’s no way in hell he’s going anywhere dressed like _this._

“Shut up, you look great!” Hakyeon calls from his bedroom, where he’s putting the finishing touches on his costume.

Hongbin disagrees. Nay, Hongbin _vehemently_ disagrees. He’s never heard such a blatant lie in his life.

“Hakyeon, I hate you,” Taekwoon shouts from their living room. Hongbin spoke too soon.

He looks up at the sound of Hakyeon’s door closing, catching a glimpse of him as he struts down the hallway, his shoes clacking as he makes his way to the living room. Wow, Hakyeon put on heels? Hongbin suddenly feels underdressed in his simple button-down and jeans, because Hakyeon only saves his heels for when he _really_ wants to dress up.

Glancing at himself in his mirror for a final time, Hongbin sighs, resigning himself to his costume. It could’ve been worse (it really couldn’t have) but it’s only for one night and Hakyeon insisted on a group costume. He should have known better than to utter the words _costume party_ in front of Hakyeon anyways, because the last time that had happened, they all showed up to Jimin and Yoongi’s place dressed as _smurfs._ (Hongbin still has nightmares about blue paint.)

Grabbing the tiny hat that Hakyeon wouldn’t let him not wear, Hongbin closes his door and heads to the living room. Everyone except Wonsik is here, primarily because he insisted on dyeing himself purple in order to “fully commit” to his costume. Hakyeon encouraged this. Hongbin thought this was incredibly stupid.

Once Hongbin arrives, Hakyeon surveys the room, his shock of sprayed-blue hair standing out against the beige backdrop of their living room. He pivots on his heel, turning to face Taekwoon, who’s starfished himself on their couch. The second he turns around, Hongbin’s eyes are suddenly drawn to one (1) place and he chokes on his spit, tearing his eyes away. He would rather drink malt vinegar than be confronted by Hakyeon’s ass, but he literally can’t help it because Hakyeon’s ass just slapped him _in the face._ He’s wearing the most obnoxious pair of highlighter yellow skinny jeans, which are somehow simultaneously the brightest _and_ the tightest things that Hongbin has ever seen in his life. How Hakyeon even managed to _find_ neon yellow jeans and a matching shirt is absolutely lost on him.

At the sound of Hongbin coughing, Hakyeon turns around, his jeans threatening to implode at the sudden motion. Cocking an eyebrow at Hongbin, Hakyeon smirks, the expression on his face saying _yeah, I look fucking good and I know it._ From the way that Taekwoon is unabashedly staring at his ass, it seems like he thinks so too.   

“Hello, my Sadness,” Hakyeon coos, cupping Taekwoon’s face in his hands. Taekwoon seems to forget all about The Booty and grumbles something that sounds like _fuck you, Joy_ , crossing his arms and tucking his chin further into his turtleneck. Hakyeon smiles, adjusting Taekwoon’s oversized glasses and smoothing down his similarly sprayed-blue hair.

Hongbin looks around the room, noting its the attire of its two other occupants. Sanghyuk looks like a fire hydrant, dressed in glaringly bright red from head to toe, all the way from his red snapback to his limited edition converse. He smirks at Hongbin, raising an eyebrow at his costume, and Hongbin flips him off, turning to Jaehwan. He’s on his phone, dressed almost entirely in green, a purple scarf drawn loosely around his neck. Hakyeon wanted to spray his hair too but Jaehwan had dodged him, shouting something about chemicals and “fucking _carcinogens,_ Hakyeon!” Hongbin thinks that his character couldn’t have suited him more.

“Sadness, Anger, Disgust,” Hakyeon counts them off on his fingers. “Does anyone know where Wonsik is, I don’t know know where he— oh.”

The boy in question lumbers into the living room, his face a pained mixture of fright and panic. The room’s chatter comes to an abrupt halt and they stare, Wonsik stopping dead in his tracks and staring back. Wonsik’s skin is scarily purple, all the way from his hairline to his chest, a tie strung haphazardly around his neck. He looks like an evil Minion on steroids and Hongbin is losing it as Wonsik gestures repeatedly at his face, eyes widening in panic.

“It won’t come off!” Wonsik wails, and Hongbin can’t see through his tears, doubled over from laughter. “Stop laughing at me, this is _your fucking fault!_ ”

When they went to to store yesterday, Hongbin was more than happy to say absolutely nothing when Wonsik asked if he could colour himself with hair dye. It looks like his silence paid off.

Jaehwan high fives a cackling Hongbin, Taekwoon rolling his eyes at their collective idiocy. Hongbin doesn’t even care. He read the instructions on the box and it seems like Wonsik is going to be cosplaying the Grape Kool-Aid man for at least the next two to four weeks, and Hongbin is fucking _living_ for it. God knows he could use some entertainment around here.

Hakyeon ignores Wonsik’s ongoing crisis, resuming his count. “Okay, we have me —who’s Joy, in case you guys couldn’t tell by my killer costume— Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. That leaves—”

“Bingbong,” Sanghyuk interrupts devilishly, eyes gleaming as he makes ironic jazz hands at Hongbin’s all-pink getup. Hongbin had tried to make it better, but he’s no Hakyeon. The pink jeans that Taekwoon loaned him are way too long and in attempt to make his outfit less cartoonish, Hongbin unbuttoned the first three buttons of his magenta shirt, although he’s not sure if it’s even okay for Bingbong to be showing skin in the first place. He’s a _children’s toy._

 _"_ You look great, Hongbingbong," Sanghuk snickers, and Hongbin glares at him, wishing he had Bingbong’s trunk so he could bitchslap Sanghyuk across his stupid face. Inside Out only has five emotions, and he lost at rock paper scissors when they were choosing characters. Fucking sue him.

“Well, yes, but Bingbong is the most important character!” Hakyeon says, frowning at Sanghyuk. “And you’re the sexiest Bingbong I’ve ever seen. Maybe you’ll even find a female Bingbong tonight, Binnie.”

Hongbin blanches, pulling a face. “Please stop trying to make me feel better. And please never use the words “bingbong” and “sexy” in the same sentence ever again.”

Hakyeon grins, ignoring Hongbin's discomfort and clapping his hands together. “Alright, Team Inside Out! Operation Get Shitfaced For Free has commenced. Let’s go!”

                                                                                                            *******

Hongbin refused to take the subway looking like this, so they pile into an Uber, Sanghyuk rotating between making fun of Wonsik’s startlingly purple face and Hongbin’s attempt at making Bingbong sexy on the way to the party. Hongbin only smacks him upside the head twice, which he thinks is an achievement.

Once they arrive, a pink-cheeked Kyungsoo appears outside and pulls them inside the bar, dressed in a police uniform. Jongin pops up to say hello, clad in a striped shirt and black mask, and Hongbin rolls his eyes. There’s nothing subtle about that, either.

The party is already in full swing, witches, vampires, Trumps and various other celebrity look-alikes milling around with Halloween-themed drinks. Little pumpkin lights are strung from the ceiling, cobwebs littering every surface, the dry ice spread throughout the room creating an eerie, smoky effect. _Monster Mash_ is playing in the background and Hongbin is leaning against the bar, content to watch Wonsik try his luck yet again at asking a girl to dance. The fact that he’s entirely purple seems to put her off, and Hongbin watches Wonsik smile weakly at her dismissal, his purple face crumpling as he sadly wanders away to try his luck somewhere else.

Jaehwan’s green eyeshadow is already smudging as he throws back shots with Sanghyuk, except Sanghyuk seems to be doing all of the pouring and none of the drinking. Typical.

No matter where they go, it seems like nothing ever changes. Hongbin wonders why they even go out anymore.

Hongbin glances down at his drink, a smoking purple concoction in a little cauldron-shaped glass. He brings it to his lips, contemplating throwing it back in one shot, when Hakyeon and Taekwoon suddenly appear at his elbow.

“Hey, Bean.” Taekwoon’s voice is soft as he greets Hongbin, and he lifts his eyebrows in response. “What are you drinking?”

“I’m….not entirely sure,” Hongbin replies, inspecting his drink. Taekwoon glances at Hakyeon, raising an eyebrow, and Hakyeon nods, hoisting himself up onto a bar stool as Taekwoon sets off to find the bartender, presumably to ask for two of whatever Hongbin is drinking.

Hongbin glances at Hakyeon, who’s checking his phone, lip between his teeth as he scrolls. He almost doesn’t recognize him because Hongbin only really sees Hakyeon at home, when his hair is messy and he’s wearing sweats, but now, looking like this, it’s no wonder that Hakyeon is drawing looks from almost all the partygoers in the bar.

“How’s your night going, Binnie? Find your lady Bingbong yet?” Hakyeon looks up from his phone, winking at him, and Hongbin sighs.

“Nope. Bingbong is going to die alone and he’s okay with that.” Hongbin settles onto a bar stool beside Hakyeon, placing his drink on the bar.

Hakyeon smiles, ruffling a hand through Hongbin’s hair. “You’ll find her, Binnie. There’s someone out there for everyone.”

Over Hakyeon’s shoulder, Hongbin watches Taekwoon speak to the bartender further down the counter, and he smiles back, albeit tightly. _Don’t you know it._

“Excuse me, am I interrupting something?” A voice cuts through their conversation and Hongbin looks up to see a handsome Dracula standing in front of them, smiling with fake fangs clipped to his teeth. He’s tall, definitely taller than Hongbin, and his eyes are kind, a curl of black hair dipping over his forehead. In front of the personification of Beauty himself, Hongbin instantly feels worse about his own getup.

“No, not at all,” Hakyeon says, and Dracula smiles even wider, his enlarged incisors catching the light. Hongbin opens his mouth to agree but is suddenly cut off, Dracula turning to face Hakyeon.

“You’re Joy, right?” Dracula asks, addressing Hakyeon directly and grinning when he nods. Well. Hongbin has to commend him for having his priorities straight.

“I’m sorry if this is too much, but I just had to come over to tell you that your costume is incredible. I didn’t think the heels would work, but they definitely do.”

Hongbin rolls his eyes as Hakyeon quirks a brow, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“Thanks, Dracula. Your costume isn’t so bad yourself.”

Dracula laughs, swishing his cloak with a flourish. “I definitely tried much harder than you, but I don’t pull it off nearly as well as you do.”

Hongbin rolls his eyes again because this man is clearly trying _way_ too hard to impress. Taekwoon wouldn’t be caught dead saying cheesy shit like that. But to Hongbin’s surprise, Hakyeon laughs and blushes, he fucking _blushes_ , and— huh? He’s never seen Hakyeon blush before, let alone in front of a boy. Hakyeon doesn’t even blush in front of _Taekwoon_. But Hongbin thought—?

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I would say you’re at least 82% better than all the other Draculas here tonight, and there’s at least seven.”

Is— is Hakyeon _flirting?_ Is this what him flirting looks like? Because if this is Hakyeon is flirting, then what in the everloving _shit_ was Hongbin forced to watch go on between him and Taekwoon at home?

“Come on, I’d at least say 85%. I think I deserve extra marks for the fangs, these took me twenty whole minutes to glue on and I definitely didn’t do it for anything below an A.” Dracula winks at Hakyeon and Hongbin swears he sees his ears redden, a telltale sign that Hakyeon is becoming flustered. What is _happening?_

Hakyeon laughs, his hand coming up to brush his hair back from his forehead. Hongbin doesn’t miss the way that Dracula’s eyes follow the movement. “Alright, I concede. 85%. You’re an A student.”

“I’m Wonkeun, by the way,” Dracula introduces himself, enveloping Hakyeon’s hand with his own. Hongbin extends his hand too but is promptly ignored, Wonkeun’s hand slipping from Hakyeon’s to rest on the back of his chair. Wow. Hongbin wishes this guy was _gone_ -keun.

Over Hakyeon’s shoulder, Hongbin suddenly sees Taekwoon approaching, a smoking drink in each hand. Oh no.

“I’m Hakyeon.” The smile is audible in his voice and everything feels so, so wrong.

Hongbin can almost hear the ominous crackle of thunder in the distance as Taekwoon draws closer, smiling at Hongbin as he weaves around the people clustered in front of the bar.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hakyeon.”

“Likewise.”

Hongbin makes eye contact with Taekwoon, widening his eyes and glancing at Wonkeun, then looking at Hakyeon. Taekwoon raises his eyebrows, cocking his head to one side as he mouths _what?_ Someone suddenly bumps into him and Hongbin sees him fumble one of the drinks, catching it just in time.

“If you’d let me, I’d love to buy you a drink.” Hongbin freezes, eyes jerking back to Hakyeon’s face. _Oh_ _no_. Did Hakyeon forget about Taekwoon? It’s only been five minutes, how could he have forgotten _already?_

Hakyeon’s smile grows impossibly wider, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Only if you promise to do your worst.”

Hongbin feels like his world is being turned on its head; it’s only been a couple of weeks since Jimin and Yoongi initially flipped it upside down and Hongbin is still getting used to the idea that his entire life leading up to that moment was a lie. Hakyeon is flirting with someone who _isn’t_ Taekwoon, and either Hongbin is going insane or he’s entered the Matrix because this isn’t real life anymore, what is Hongbin _watching_ —

Wonkeun laughs, stepping towards the other end of the bar and holding up two fingers, saying something about _vodka_ to the bartender that Hongbin doesn’t quite catch.

Taekwoon is almost upon them, he’s standing directly behind Hakyeon and Hongbin tries to make his eyes even bigger, looking pointedly at Wonkeun then at Hakyeon. But Taekwoon still doesn’t seem to get it, because his mouth falls open and out comes a confused “Hongbin, what are you doing?”

Hakyeon turns around at the noise and he freezes, eyes going straight to the drinks in Taekwoon’s hands. Hongbin hears his sudden intake of breath, which means that Hongbin was right and Hakyeon forgot about Taekwoon’s offer to get them both drinks earlier.

“Taekwoon,” Hakeyon says, eyes wide.

“Hakyeon?” Taekwoon’s voice is uncertain, his eyes going from Hakyeon to Hongbin and then back to Hakyeon again.

“Taekwoon, I’m so sorry, I completely forgot that you—”

“Hakyeon, I definitely can say I did my worst.” Hongbin feels like he’s watching a train wreck in slow motion as Wonkeun steps up to Hakyeon’s side, a drink in each hand. At Wonkeun’s arrival, silence befalls the four of them, and somehow it’s ten times more deafening than the roar of the bar. There’s a horrible, drawn-out moment where Hakyeon is staring at Taekwoon, Taekwoon is staring at Wonkeun and Wonkeun is staring at Hakyeon. And Hongbin is just hopelessly caught between all three of them, his eyes stuck in a game of tennis where all the players seem to be losing.

Hongbin can’t take the silence anymore. Someone needs to say something.

“Sorry, you are?” Hongbin should’ve specified. Anyone except _him._

Taekwoon’s eyes suddenly jerk up to meet Wonkeun’s, and he says nothing for a moment, blinking at Wonkeun from behind his thick-framed glasses. Taekwoon looks down at the drinks in Wonkeun’s hands and then back up to Hakyeon, noting the confused, apologetic expression on his face. Taekwoon suddenly glances down at the drinks in his own hands and he pauses, staring at them. He takes a step back, looking back up at Wonkeun and Hakyeon, seeming to notice how close Wonkeun is standing to him. And then, Hongbin sees Taekwoon’s eyes suddenly alight with understanding.

“I’m just— a friend.” Taekwoon’s voice is devoid of emotion and his gaze grows impassive as he stares at Wonkeun, not even looking at Hakyeon. “I’m just a friend.”

What is Taekwoon _saying?_ Hongbin is so, so confused. If Taekwoon is really just a friend of Hakyeon’s, then what does that make Hongbin? A freaking stranger? Hongbin doesn’t know what’s going on but he knows that Taekwoon needs to _say something._

But Taekwoon says nothing. And even though they’re both around the same height, Wonkeun suddenly seems impossibly taller than him as Taekwoon’s shoulders fall, the hands holding the drinks coming to rest at his sides. Hakyeon’s expression grows increasingly confused as he glances between the two of them, his eyebrows ascending into his bangs.

“Oh, okay! It’s nice to meet you,” Wonkeun says, smiling genially at Taekwoon, whose face remains blank. Hongbin is staring at Taekwoon, imploring him with his eyes, but Taekwoon’s gaze is fixated on the floor. _Say something. Say something._

Wonkeun eyes suddenly dart to Taekwoon’s drinks, and he raises an eyebrow. Taekwoon looks up and apparently notices Wonkeun noticing, because suddenly a drink is shoved into Hongbin’s hand, his little cauldron abandoned on the counter of the bar.

“Here, Hongbin. This is for you.” Taekwoon’s voice is flat and Hongbin slowly wraps his hand around the drink, glancing unsurely at Hakyeon. But Hakyeon isn’t even looking at him. He’s staring wide-eyed at Taekwoon.

“I’ll see you around, Hakyeon.” Taekwoon doesn’t look Hakeyon in the eye or even give him time to reply as he turns on his heel, not waiting for Hongbin to join him before he disappears into the crowd. Hongbin glances at Hakyeon, whose expression only grows increasingly confused as he watches Taekwoon’s back retreat into the party. As Hakyeon's gaze meets his, eyebrows raised and eyes wide, Jimin's words suddenly echo in the back of Hongbin's mind.  _They both want the same thing, they just don't know it yet._

Despite the fact that his he's dressed head to toe in neon yellow, Hakyeon suddenly seems much less bright.

“So, where were we?” Wonkeun is still smiling and Hakyeon tears his gaze away from Hongbin’s, the corners of his lips upturning weakly as the smile doesn’t meet his eyes.

“I think you were about to show me your worst,” Hakyeon replies, and Wonkeun laughs. Hongbin is stuck to his seat, because if Hakyeon was confused, and Taekwoon was confused, if everybody was stuck in this horrible state of _confusion_ — it can only mean one thing.

Hongbin is staring wide-eyed at Hakyeon, because he can’t believe it. He can’t believe that he actually lives with the two biggest idiots on the planet.

Hongbin can’t believe that Hakyeon doesn’t know that Taekwoon likes him.

He thought Hakyeon knew— because how could he not know? How could _Taekwoon_ not know that it was mutual? How the fuck can two people be so _blind?_

Hakyeon smiles, accepting Wonkeun’s proffered drink, and Hongbin’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head. This whole time, neither of them _knew?_

Hongbin slips off of his stool, still clutching the drink that Taekwoon gave him. He needs to go find him, because maybe Taekwoon can clear things up for him. (Which is a vain hope, because he knows that an upset Taekwoon is notorious for being about as clear as mud.)

He finds him sitting alone at one of the tables, head ducked over his phone, his sprayed-blue hair falling over his forehead. Hongbin approaches him slowly, with slow, measured steps, similar to way a person would if they were trying to corner a stray cat.

“Taekwoon?” Hongbin’s voice is hesitant, unsure.

Taekwoon hums, not looking up from his phone. He doesn’t make any move to leave, though, so Hongbin pulls out a chair beside him, setting his drink down on the cobwebbed table.

“Are you, uh, okay?” Hongbin doesn’t say what he’s actually thinking, which is more along the lines of _you fucking imbecile, how the fuck did you not know that Hakyeon likes you._ Hongbin has a feeling that those words wouldn’t go over very well, and Taekwoon doesn’t do that great (read: very, very poorly) with confrontation.

Taekwoon doesn’t say anything, sitting languidly in his chair and scrolling idly through his phone, but he doesn’t fool Hongbin. He can see the way that Taekwoon’s body is rigid with tension, how his shoulders have crept up to his ears and he’s turned inward, curling in on himself. His turtleneck swallows his chin, his eyes unblinking from behind his oversized glasses as he stares at his phone.

“Taekwoon?” Hongbin says again, nudging his shoulder. “You good?”

Taekwoon doesn’t look at him, speaking into the table. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Hongbin is unsure of how to continue, because he knows how Taekwoon gets when he’s like this. Snip the wrong wire, and instead of defusing the bomb, you’ll accidentally set it off. Hongbin already feels like he’s been walking a tightrope the last few weeks at home, and now he’s wading through a landmine.

Hongbin hedges, choosing his words carefully. “I mean, you seemed a little….off, a few minutes ago. You know, with Hakyeon.” What he’s really saying is _you didn’t say anything. Why didn’t you say something._

Taekwoon barks out a short, bitter laugh. “Hakyeon can do what he wants. He can do _who_ he wants. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Hongbin takes back everything he said before. _That_ was the most blatant lie he’s ever heard.

“Okay,” Hongbin says, but he knows better than to believe Taekwoon for even a second. He’s always been a terrible liar. Taekwoon and Hakyeon may be blind, but Hongbin can’t stop _seeing._ He doesn’t know what to do, how to make both of them open their eyes and _look_ at each other, so Hongbin does nothing, feeling all at once like he should go and grab Hakyeon from Wonkeun and simultaneously shove Taekwoon in front of Hakyeon. But Hakyeon is across the bar, and Taekwoon seems glued to his chair, and Hongbin has no idea how he could “accidentally” push their faces together when they’re so far apart.

They sit in silence for the next two hours, Taekwoon scrolling through his phone and Hongbin quietly surveying the party from his seat at the back of the bar. Hongbin, however, doesn’t miss the way that every so often, Taekwoon’s eyes flicker up from his phone and he surreptitiously glances at Hakyeon and Wonkeun across the bar. They’re sitting even closer together than before, and Hongbin can _feel_ Taekwoon clench his jaw when Wonkeun reaches a hand out to brush a speck of dust off of Hakyeon’s cheek.

                                                                                                             ******

The ride home is a tense one, neither Taekwoon nor Hakyeon looking at each other. Kyungsoo had bid them goodbye as they left, pulling them both into a tight hug. Taekwoon’s entire body went rigid as he was pressed against Hakyeon, and Hakyeon fared no better, weakly one-arm hugging Kyungsoo back.

Jaehwan and Sanghyuk cast sideways glances at each other when they get home and Taekwoon is the first one out of the car, flinging the door open before their Uber even pulls up to a complete stop. Wonsik glances at Hakyeon, who makes no move to get out of the car, slouching in his seat and staring out the window. _What happened?_ Wonsik mouths at Hongbin, but he shakes his head. He’ll tell Wonsik later, when he’s less purple and Hongbin is more sure that he can handle their parents possibly not-breaking up from their not-relationship.

They silently file inside, Jaehwan’s usual drunk shouting turned into more of a drunken whisper at the sombre atmosphere within their home.

Taekwoon is already on his way back from the bathroom, face bare and hair washed of any spray, mouthguard in hand as he heads back to his bedroom. Hakyeon rounds the corner to get to his own room at the exact moment that Taekwoon is opening his door, and their house suddenly goes silent. Hakyeon is staring at Taekwoon, who’s staring at the floor, hand frozen on his doorknob. Hakyeon takes a breath and hesitates, like he wants to say something but doesn’t know how. Taekwoon looks up at him and they make eye contact, just for a second, before Taekwoon twists his doorknob and steps inside his room, his door closing behind him with a little more force than necessary.

No matter how badly they fight, no matter how badly Taekwoon hurts Hakyeon or Hakyeon hurts Taekwoon, Hongbin knows that they _always_ say goodnight to each other. No matter what.

And now, for the first time since Hongbin has moved in, they didn’t.

Hakyeon’s shoulders slump and he bites his lip, not looking at the rest of them clustered at the mouth of the hallway. Letting himself into his own room, Hongbin sees him bring a hand up to swipe at his eyes before he closes his door. It clicks shut, and silence fills the hallway. 

Jaehwan is too drunk to really understand what’s going on, so Hongbin tells Sanghyuk to take him to bed, pushing Wonsik into his room. Once he’s alone, Hongbin sighs deeply, resigning himself to dealing with the two very confused, highly stupid residents of this household. Apparently, they need Lee Hongbin’s Glasses of Wisdom, because their eyes are open but they can’t fucking _see._ And they're not making it any easier for him, because Taekwoon is as stubborn as a rock and Hakyeon is out to win the award for the most Type A human being on the planet. Hongbin has to fix this, not only for the sake of their sanity but mainly (entirely) for the sake of his own. Hongbin can do this. Right? 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope everyone enjoyed honbin's suffering!!  
> perhaps hongbin's costume was based off a time when my friends decided to do an inside out group costume and there were six of us but only five emotions....you can guess who had to be bingbong (ʘ‿ʘ)
> 
> comments are always, always appreciated! like i will actually love you. like. Forever  
> come say hi on twt @yoongis_smile, i have snacks and i WILL give them to u \ (•◡•) /


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